Dan is a native of Manhattan, Kansas. He married Kathryn (Kathy) Yonning in 1975. They had a son, Nikolaus, who is deceased. Dan received his AA degree (’73) from Colby Community College, Colby, Kan., and his BS (’75) and DVM degrees (’77) from Kansas State University.
He completed a surgery/medicine internship at Auburn University and a surgical residency at the University of Tennessee. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). Dan served as a veterinary faculty member in Orthopedic Surgery at Purdue University and North Carolina State University. He has received numerous awards for clinical and teaching excellence, including the Norden Distinguished Teacher Award at both institutions.
He began his career in industry with Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., Topeka, Kansas, in 1991 where he held positions of Director of Advanced Research; Director of Research; Vice President, Research; Vice President, Pet Nutrition Center; and Vice President, Clinical Nutrition and Chief Animal Welfare Veterinarian, until his retirement in 2008.
He was then asked by Kansas State University to develop a new campus in Olathe, the newest of K-State’s three campus system which includes Manhattan, Salina, and now Olathe. As K-State Olathe’s CEO, Dan had general oversight of construction of the campus, and worked across disciplines to develop graduate degree programs, recruit faculty and build relationships with industry. He retired “again” in July, 2013.
Dan has published extensively and is an internationally recognized speaker with expertise in nutrition and veterinary orthopedics. He received the 2004 Kansas State University Alumni Fellow Award for the College of Veterinary Medicine. He has been and continues to be active consulting and is on several boards and task forces in Kansas City and Topeka including the US Bank Board of Advisors, Stormont Vail Foundation and the Topeka Science & Technology Advisory Committee. Dan & Kathy are on the Kansas State University Foundation Board of Trustees. They make their home in Topeka, Kansas.